A 14-year-old girl was killed by a train on Friday evening near Montauban while she was crossing the tracks via a passage provided for this purpose, the prosecutor said on Saturday, confirming information from the regional daily La Dépêche du Midi. “An investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” declared Montauban prosecutor Bruno Sauvage.
The young girl had just gotten off a TER in Albias (Haute-Garonne), shortly after 9 p.m. and was crossing the tracks on a dedicated passage in order to leave the station when she was mowed down by an Intercités train coming in the opposite direction and not stopping. She was in the company of a group of young girls, who were interviewed by investigators on Friday evening.
Among the gray areas that the investigation will have to clarify, the question of knowing whether the sound and light signal warning of the arrival of a train worked well, as the first findings suggest. “The first observations made by our agents last night seem to show that the security system was working correctly […] “seem”, I say, because an investigation will have to determine the circumstances of this accident,” declared a spokesperson. The SNCF “will make its contribution to this investigation and sends its condolences to the family”, she underlined.